The Security Jan's Necklace Brings
by laurendee
Summary: Did you ever notice the heart necklace Jan's been wearing? This is a take on what the necklace means to Michael and Jan. Some takes on where the new episode to air on 4/10 will bring their relationship.


Disclaimer: I don't own The Office or it's characters. Also, the references I make to K-Mart and Tiffany's have no bearing on my opinion of the stores. They are merely used as a discrepancy in the price of the fictitious necklace I mention.

Hope you like!

Michael couldn't afford to buy Jan the luxuries she was used to, which he made very clear on multiple occasions.

The first time he told her was the night she confessed to him that she, too, had feelings for him. The last thing he needed was this relationship to be over before it even began. That wasn't the case though. When Michael mentioned it that night before they had sex in his condo, Jan responded sarcastically, "Do you think I'd be with you if money mattered to me? Let's face it Michael, you aren't rich. You live in a condo and I determine your raise each year."

It was a harsh reminder that Jan was on top (TWSS), but it also reinforced the fact that Jan must think highly of Michael to be with someone much lower on the income scale than she.

The second time Michael brought it up was because he needed reassurance that Jan was really okay with living in his quarters when, as she had pointed out before, it was a condo. She was, after all, moving from a penthouse. It made sense to remind someone what they were getting into when it involved such a drastic change.

"Jan, my offer still stands, but are you sure this is what you want to do? It's a condo, Jan. Everything I own in the house is probably worth less than you paid in rent each month."

"Michael, it's fine. Besides, you seem like the logical one. You at least are one step closer to your picket fence dream – you're a homeowner. I've just been paying thousands in rent each month to get me where? No where. I can't say I own a home. I was just a renter, there for a temporary stay. Besides, who am I to talk money when I don't even have a job anymore. You're my provider, Michael, in more ways than one." She reinforced her feelings by grabbing his shirt, tugging at it to emphasize his importance in her life.

Michael felt ease find its way into him. While it sucked that Jan had gotten fired, he had felt proud to say that he was the sole provider in their home and even more proud when he heard Jan say Michael was her provider. The shoe was now on the other foot – sort of – Jan was no longer the leading breadwinner in the household. If her sincerity over this financial situation wasn't obvious through her words, it definitely was in her dress. She was now succumbing to more of a Scranton-style of dress, wearing more than one item from K-Mart on this particular day.

"Hey Jan, I have to tell you something."

Jan backed a way a little, taking her hands off his chest and putting them in the back pockets of her jeans. She looked at him, searching his eyes for some sign of what he was about to confess.

"You're socks aren't the only things that are from K-Mart," he said in one breath of air.

"What?" Jan asked, confusion displayed on her face.

"Your socks? They're from K-Mart."

Jan nodded, wondering what Michael was talking about. This all seemed so trivial compared to how he started this conversation.

"The necklace on your neck," he said as he brought his hand to lift it off Jan's chest, holding the heart in his finger, "it's actually from K-Mart, too. I hope you still like it."

Jan's look softened and she gave him the most sympathetic, heart-conveyed grin. "Michael, will you stop with this little insecurity problem you have? I don't care where you got the necklace from, I only care that you gave it to me. And I love the necklace, but understand that I don't even need it as long as I know that I have you. You should know this by now." Jan then reached up and put her arms around Michael's neck, clasping her wrists and rocking slowly with Michael.

This time Jan had been more sincere in reminding Michael that his income didn't affect her opinions of who he really was, and really, who was she to talk now that he was the sold breadwinner?

Then the accumulating debt that had been snowballing into one ugly financial problem for Michael came crashing down in one huge mound. Again he felt insecure, which is why he felt the desire to run away that day Jan had asked him about decorating decisions. This time, though, his insecurity wasn't so much because he was afraid of what Jan thought, but more so because he was afraid of the debt problems themselves.

When Jan came running after him on the train tracks, he knew in his heart of hearts that he'd picked the woman for him. Sure enough, she was wearing the heart necklace that day, it somehow reminding him not what he had to lose with this financial problem but all that he'd gained by being with Jan. The necklace wasn't just a representation of his love to Jan, but for him, a representation of Jan's commitment to him. Every time she wore it, especially now that she knew it was from K-Mart and not Tiffany's, he felt that much more committed to her as she seemed to be to him.

They'd just had one of their "bad" fights. Actually, things had never gotten back on track after New York. Michael felt betrayed…hurt…disappointed…disgusted. The list went on and on, but right now, all he could focus on was the broken Dundee lying on the living room floor.

He went to approach Jan about the Dundee and was struck by her beauty, as always. She was wearing a bright red v-neck blouse that matched her fingernails and her hair was pulled back tightly, making her neck exposed. He noticed she was wearing the necklace.

Immediately upon seeing it, he softened instinctually. After all this time, that necklace represented more than the 50.00 he paid for it. He was surprised Jan had decided to wear it. While she'd worn it for most outings, he didn't think she'd want to wear it for the dinner party considering the bad fight they were still in.

But Michael didn't even have to question her reasons for wearing the necklace because after Jan noticed him staring at her neck so long, she blurted out, "What the hell is wrong with you Michael? I love you, damn it, and this fight, nor any fight will change that. Of course I'm going to wear the necklace you gave me. How many more times will I have to tell you?"

For a second, Michael thought he might say "None" for reasons even he couldn't decipher yet – was it "none" because he now felt all of the assurance he'd needed from Jan? He did, after all, see her answer his insecurity questions in the beginning of their relationship, when she was still mocking him, and then a few months ago when she answered in a much more sincere reply, and now, where she picked up on his insecurities even before he said anything.

Or was it "none" because he was through with Jan. She'd taken him on a long, up and down ride and maybe it was time to move on. The necklace might represent Jan's security as his girlfriend, but he wasn't so sure any security mattered now that Jan had broken his trust in a completely different way.


End file.
